Big Bend Border Barrier Build Delay Extended (Again)

Construction on hold through Sept. 30, 2026

Sep 01, 2026

The public was shut out of areas within Big Bend National Park early last month when federal contractors began building infrastructure for “border barriers” there (Photo by Jau Kleberg) — The public was shut out of areas within Big Bend National Park early last month when federal contractors began building infrastructure for “border barriers” there **(Photo by Jay Kleberg via Facebook)**

After a federal court announced last week that work on border security construction in Big Bend National Park would be put on hold through Sept. 15, 2026, Texas State Senator Roland Gutierrez announced on Instagram on Monday, August 31, 2026, that the delay has been pushed back to September 30, 2026.

Gutierrez is representing river adventure company Far Flung Outfitters as well as the Lipan-Apache Tribe in opposing construction of border barriers and “patrol roads” in the national park.

On Monday, Gutierrez said the court received a letter from the federal government stating there would be no “moving of earth or dirt of any kind” until Sept. 30, extending the court-imposed pause.

“We don’t need a wall where one already exists. We don’t need a wall where there are virtually no border crossings to speak of in any real way. We don’t need an expenditure of $1.7 billion just to fill the coffers of some contractor.” -Texas State Senator Roland Guttierez

A javelina ventures out of the brush behind earthmoving equipment clearing a path through Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park (Photo by Natalie Newman) — A javelina ventures out of the brush behind earthmoving equipment clearing a path through Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park **(Photo by Natalie Newman)**

Meanwhile, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone postponed a hearing scheduled for Thursday in El Paso on a request for a preliminary injunction to stop construction of border infrastructure in the park and across the region.

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The request was brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Ruidosa Church and a Big Bend area landowner, the same plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the construction. That lawsuit challenging the unconstitutional waiver of dozens of laws to fast-track border barrier construction in the region still proceeds.

Both sides in the case have been ordered by the court to file additional paperwork by September 7, 2026, and “upon review of the joint notice, the Court will reset this matter for an evidentiary hearing, if appropriate.”